On Friday, May 23, more than 400 middle school students took part in the Kentucky Recognition Ceremony of the Duke Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) at Western Kentucky University.

Duke TIP’s 7th Grade Talent Search has identified students in a 16-state area who have scored at or above the 95th percentile on a grade-level achievement test since 1981. As part of the program, these students take above-level college-entrance exams (ACT or SAT) to learn more about their abilities. Duke TIP recognizes those who score the highest on these exams as a part of the state recognition ceremonies.

This is the 32nd yearThe Center for Gifted Studies has hosted the Kentucky Recognition Ceremony for Duke TIP at WKU.

“Honoring academic achievement is an important way to encourage young people to work hard to reach their potential,” states Executive Director of The Center for Gifted Studies Dr. Julia Roberts. “Hosting the Kentucky Awards Recognition is something that we at The Center for Gifted Studies look forwarding to doing annually, and we congratulate the young people who were honored by Duke TIP this year.”

Students arrived on campus mid-day for an afternoon that consisted of an informational session on the summer programs offered by The Center for Gifted Studies, tours of WKU’s campus and the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, and the Kentucky Recognition Ceremony, which was held at WKU’s Diddle Arena at 2:00. Immediately following the Ceremony, the Kentucky Educational Savings Plan Trust (KESPT) sponsored a reception for the students and their families.

Several prominent leaders in education were on hand to congratulate the students for their accomplishments, including Dr. Carl Rollins, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer for the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) and the Kentucky Higher Education Student Loan Corporation (KHESLC), and Mrs. Kathie Anderson, Consultant for Gifted and Talented Education with the Kentucky Department of Education.

Kentucky Senator David Givens addressed the honorees at the ceremony. “My hope is that your passion for knowledge will grow and lead to great opportunities. Our world needs your bright light in the years to come.”

Dr. Roberts gave the opening and closing remarks, and Dr. David Lee, Dean of WKU’s Potter College of Arts and Letters, welcomed students and their families to WKU’s campus.Bomi Robersonrepresented Duke TIP at the recognition ceremony.

“As seventh graders, these students have achieved scores on the ACT or SAT rivaling those of half of college-bound seniors who took the tests,” said Dr. Martha Putallaz, Duke TIP Executive Director and Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke. “We are extremely proud of our ceremonies honorees, and we appreciate the opportunity to celebrate their achievement and encourage them in their academic potential.”

About Duke TIP:The Duke University Talent Identification Program is an international leader in identifying and serving the educational needs of academically gifted youth. Through identification, recognition, challenging educational programs, information, advocacy and research, Duke TIP provides resources to gifted students, their parents, educators, and schools for the development of the students’ optimal potential.

This year, 64,896 students participated nationally. Of those, 21,775 students have been invited to attend state recognition ceremonies, and 1,894 students have been invited to the Grand Recognition Ceremony. The Grand Recognition Ceremony honors seventh graders who have earned scores equal to or better than 90 percent of college-bound seniors who took the same tests.

In the state of Kentucky, 2,222 students took tests to qualify for Duke TIP and 1,227 students qualified for the Kentucky Recognition Ceremony. This 55.5 percent mark of students qualifying represents a 2.5 percent increase from the 2013 candidate pool.

About The Center for Gifted Studies: Located on the WKU campus in Bowling Green, The Center for Gifted Studies has been serving children who are gifted and talented, their educators, and their parents for more than 30 years. The Center provides exciting educational opportunities for gifted young people, rigorous professional development for teachers, and support for parents of gifted young people. Under the direction of Dr. Julia Link Roberts, The Center has become one of the preeminent centers for gifted education in the United States. The Center believes that when gifted young people meet their extraordinary potential, our communities, our state, our nation—even our world—become better places. That is why each school year, The Center renews its commitment to encouraging excellence by providing quality programming and resources for gifted students, their teachers, and their parents.

The Center for Gifted Studies would like to thank the Kentucky Education Savings Plan Trust (KESPT), who sponsored the reception following the ceremony for the honorees and their families. KESPT has been helping families save for college for more than 25 years. For more information on KESPT, go to www.kysaves.com.